411 Music Fact or Fiction: Did We Enjoy Drake’s New EP?

Joseph Lee:FACT – I haven’t seen the movie yet, but it’s got a lot of hype behind it, even from people who don’t normally enjoy Pixar (as soulless as they are). The songs are a big part of that, and the buzz for “Remember Me” is bigger than any of the other nominated songs, at least from those I’ve talked to.

Jeremy Thomas:FACT – It’s certainly the heavy favorite at the moment. “Remember Me” is a great entry into the Disney (okay, Pixar but still) songbook and it’s heads and tails above the other nominees. Add into that the fact that I don’t think its next-closest competition, The Greatest Showman, is a film that has any sort of awards momentum to it. Call Me By Your Name is better-known for its other aspects than its song, and the same goes for Mudbound. Marshall’s “Stand Up For Something” is there more for previous winner Common than anything else. That makes Coco the likely winner.

It was the right time for Slayer to end their run.

Joseph Lee:FACT – The band certainly thinks so, and they would know more than I would. Some may argue that the band should have called it quits after the death of Jeff Hanneman (I wouldn’t), and some would say that they should never quit. But Slayer thinks it’s time, so I’ll agree with them.

Jeremy Thomas:FACT – With these questions, I always tend to default to, “If the band feels it’s time, then it’s time.” There are a lot of legitimate reasons for the band to end their run now, but the key for me is that they just feel like it’s the right moment to put an end to things. Of course, the key question here is how long this retirement will last and whether it will just be touring or a full retirement. I tend to think in Slayer’s case, it will be a full farewell an it will stick. They’ve accomplished everything they could want to in their career and don’t have anything left to prove. It’s time for them to kick back and enjoy their retirements. While it’s sad we won’t get more Slayer music, more power to them.

Johnny Depp would be a good addition to Marilyn Manson’s band.

Joseph Lee:FACT – They’ve already worked together in the past and Depp is the bassist for Hollywood Vampires. Plus Manson just fired the guitarist, so maybe this would be a good fit. I’d rather Depp live out his passion for music than continue to bleed the Pirates franchise dry.

Jeremy Thomas:FICTION – I am a Marilyn Manson fan. That said, there is one thing that I don’t think Manson could abide, and that is someone in his band overshadowing him. Johnny Depp would do that. While he would bring the band a new spotlight, I don’t know that it’s a spotlight that Manson would necessarily want to share. And don’t get me wrong; unlike some actors who jump to music, Depp is actually a pretty talented musical artist. But I don’t see him fitting in with Manson’s musical or performance style. All in all, I just think this would be an ill fit so I gotta go no here.

SWITCH!

You’re not a fan of Lil Wayne’s new song “Big Bad Wolf.”

Jeremy Thomas:FACT – Jesus Christ. Welcome to another edition of “Lil Wayne’s word salad,” everyone. Wayne’s put out a couple of semi-solid tracks of late so I had hope for this one, that it might be more of a return to form for him. Instead, it’s a song built on the gimmick of his constant delivery which, okay, that was decent. But with a muted production track, all we have left is to focus on the lyrics and it’s the epitome of Wayne at his worst: inane metaphors and similes that make beyond no sense when you string them all together. It sounds like the random ravings of someone in the middle of a meth-induced bender, which isn’t something that I enjoy listening to. Hard pass.

Joseph Lee:FACT – The only “Big Bad Wolf” song I enjoy is from In This Moment. And as for Lil Wayne, I’ve made my opinion of him quite clear in the past. His music is not for me at all.

You’re interested in new music from Christina Aguilera.

Jeremy Thomas:FACT – She gets a lot of shit from people, but Christina Aguilera is one of the most talented pop stars of her era without question. She’s more artistically-oriented and daring than Britney Spears and has a better voice and performance style than most of her more artistically-minded contemporaries. I really enjoyed her last album, Lotus, even if it was a bit of a commercial disappointment. Five and a half years later, I’m curious to see what she’d bring to the table for a new album. As long as she doesn’t get caught up in chasing new pop trends (a trap she does fall into sometimes), a new album would be of high interest to me.

Joseph Lee:FICTION – I really enjoy listening to Aguilera’s singing voice, but her actual music leaves a lot to be desired for me. So nah, I’m not excited about the idea of new music.

Drake’s new EP “Scary Hours” was solid.

Jeremy Thomas:FACT – I’ve been critical of Drake in the past, and this wasn’t an EP that turned my opinion of him around. But “solid” is a good description. It’s less an EP than it is a single/B-side, for the record. When you release two songs, I think you’re stretching to call it an extended play. But regardless, I was mild on “God’s Plan” but liked “Diplomatic Immunity” much better. Drake can do chill-out hip-hop in his sleep, but it also tends to put me to sleep. The lyrical content of “God’s Plan” was okay, I just didn’t love the sound of it. “Immunity” has a bit more energy to it and I appreciated that. All in all, it wasn’t something I’ll add to my playlists but I liked it well enough for as short as it was.

Joseph Lee:FICTION – I do enjoy Drake from time to time, but I wasn’t really behind this one. As Jeremy said, it’s kind of dull overall and nothing more than a single listen at best.

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